Clothes-line reel.



No. 698.477. Pa tented Apr. 29, I902.

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CLOTHES LiNE REEL.

[Application filed Mar. 28, 1901.]

(No mun.)

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ISAIAH-IRVING EDGERLY, OF SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTH ES-LINE REEL.

' SFECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 698,477, dated April29, 1902.

Application filed March 28, 1901. Serial No. 53,274. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that LIsAIAH IRVING EDGERLY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Clothes-Line Reels, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like numerals on the drawings representinglike parts.

It is theobject of my invention to provide a novel clothes-line reel andsupport which will greatly facilitate the putting up and tak ing down ofa clothes-line and which when the clothes-line is reeled will thoroughlypromounted pawl 12 and has an aperture through tect the same. Toaccomplish this, I use a series of open hooks, which are attached to thevarious posts or supports for the clothes-line, and a reel which isinclosed in a housing or box. The reel is mounted upon a shaft whichextends through the side of the box, and on the projecting end of saidshaft is rigidly mounted a'pinion, which normally meshes with aslidably-mounted drive-gear. Asuitable pawl and ratchet operates toprevent the unwinding of the line from the reel, and the said pawl is soconstructed that when thrown back out of engagement with the ratchetitwill operate to hold the drive-gear out of mesh with the pinion on theshaft,so that the clothesline may be freelyunwound from the reel.

In using my device the clothes-line is looped through the open hooks onthe various posts or supports and then the drive-gear operated to windthe line up and draw the same taut, the pawl and ratchet operating tomaintain it in this condition. 1

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof myclothes-line in its operative position. Fig.2 isa detailview of one ofthe open hooks. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of theboxinclosingthereelandshowingthe operating mechanism-for the reel. Fig. 4= is a section on theline 4 4, Fig. 3 3 and Fig. 5 is a plan view ofthe operatingears, thebox being-shown in section.

The reel, whichfmay be of any suitable character, is shown as comprisingthe end flanges 3, which are connected by rods 4, the said reel beingmounted upon a shaft 5 and being inclosed in a box or housing 6, whichis adapted to bepermanently secured to any suitable fixed support, suchas a clothes-line pole 23 or the side of a house, the said shaft beingjournaled at its ends in the sides of the box .in. any suitable way. Oneend of the shaft projects through the side of the box, and on itsprojecting end is rigidly secured a pinion 7, having integral therewitha ratchetwheel 8.

A suitable drive-gear 9,which is preferably of larger diameter than thepinion 7 and which is normally in mesh with said pinion, is slidablymounted upon an ofli'set or shaft 10, supported on the outside of thebox, the said ofiset being shown as part of a casting 11, which castingalso carries the pivotallywhich the end of the shaft 5 of the reelprojects. Acoiledspring13,surroundingtheofiset 10 and hearing at one endagainst the hub of the drive-gear 9 and at the other end against a pin14,serves to normally hold the said drive-gean in its operative positionin mesh with the pinion 7. A suitable crank or handle 30 is rigidlyconnected to the drivegear for rotating the same when it is desired towind up the clothes-line.

The pawl 12, before referred to, and which codperates with theratchet-wheel;8, is pivotally mounted, as at 16, on the casting 11, andthe said pawl has at its end the ofiset projection 17, which when thepawl is thrown back into the dotted-line position, Fig. 3, engages theinner face of the drive-gear 9-and holds the same out of mesh with thepinion 7, as seen in Fig. 5, this being the position of the parts whenit is desired to rapidly and freely unwind the clothes-line from thereel.

In connection withmy reel I use a series of open hooks 20, (see Fig. 2,)the said open hooks being pivotally mounted toa suitable holder 21 andpreferably having journaled line may now be rapidly and freely withdrawnfrom the reehand it will be placed in the various open hooks on thevarious supports 23, the end of the clothes-line of course beingfastened to one of said hooks. The pawl 12 will now be swung into thefull-line position, Fig. 3, to cooperate with the ratchet-wheel 8, whenthe spring 13 will automaticallyslide the drive-gear 9 longitudinally ofthe shaft 10 and throw said drive-gear into mesh with the pinion 7. Theoperator will then turn thedrive-gear by means of the crank and wind upthe clothes-line sufficiently to draw it taut, when it is ready for use.When it is desired to take in the clothes-line, it will be disengagedfrom the various hooks 20,when by the manipulation of the drive-gear 9it may be rapidly wound upon the reel, the size of the drive-gearrelative to the pinion 7 enabling this to be speedily done.

In orderto bringtheboxorhousing6inwhich the clothes-line reel issupported within convenient reach of the operator, I will preferablysupport the same upon the post or house, as illustrated in Fig. 1--t'.e.,the box will be placed below the level of the book 20 on said postand within convenient reach of the operator, and one hook 20 will beplaced directly above the box or housing and with its pulley rotatingabout a horizontal axis, and the clothes-line will be led from the reelin the box or housing up over the hook 20 and thence taken to the otherhooks 20. It should be remarked that the hooks on the remaining postswill be so positioned that the rollers 22 will rotate about a verticalaxis, this position of the hooks being preferable, since theclothes-line is less liable to become disengaged therefrom.

It is the intention of my invention to pro vide such a housing for theclothes-line reel that the said reel may be left in the housing in allkinds of weather and yet the clothesline be kept perfectly dry, and forthis purpose the box or housing has the cover 32 hinged thereto in anysuitable way, as by or dinary hinges, (not shown,) preferably on theopposite side thereof from the handle 30, the said cover projectingslightly beyond the edge of the box.

Where the box is secured to the side of a house or other flat support,so that it is impossible to project the side of the cover adjacent thehouse sufficiently beyond the side of the box 6 to prevent rain fromleaking into the box, I will provide that side of the cover adjacent thehouse with the flap 33, of any suitable material, such as rubberorleather, which flap overlaps the side of the box when the cover isshut, as seen in Fig. 3, thereby making the box water-tight.

By placing the drive-gear in front of the pinion 7, as seen in Fig. 3,the drive-gear is so positioned that when the box or housing 6 issecured to the side of a house or other fiat surface the rotation of thehandle 30 is not interfered with in any way, as it would be if theclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a clothes-line reel, a box or housing, a reel mounted on a shaftand inclosed therein, a pinion on the outside of the box and connectedto said reel to rotate the same, a slidably-mounted drive-gear normallyin mesh with the pinion, a spring to maintain said gear in its operativeposition, and a pawl cooperating with the ratchet, said pawl having alug thereon which is adapted to engage the drive-gear and hold the sameout of mesh with the pinion when the pawl is in inoperative position. i

2. In a clothes-line reel, a box or housing, a reel mounted on a shaftand inclosed therein, the end of the shaft projecting through the box orhousing, a pinion fast on the projecting end of the shaft, a ratchetintegral therewith, a slidably-mounted drive-gearnon mally in mesh withthe pinion, a pawl cooperating withthe ratchet, said pawl having a lugthereon which when the pawl is in inoperative position with respect tothe ratchet is adapted to engage the inner face of the drive gear andhold the same out of mesh with the pinion, and means for automaticallythrowing the drive-gear into mesh with the pinion when the pawl isthrown into operative position.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a series of open hooksadapted to support a clothes-line, combined with a clothes-line reelinclosed in a box or housing, a pinion on the outside of the boxconnected to the reel, a

shaft projecting from the side of the box, a

drive-gear slidably mounted thereon and nor mally in mesh with thepinion but adapted to be disconnected therefrom whereby the drive-gearmay be thrown out of engagement with the pinion when it is desired tounwind the reel and means to hold said drive-gear in either of itsadjusted positions.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a box or housing adapted to besecured to a sup port and havingahinged cover, a reelinclosed in saidbox, a pinion on the outside of the box and connected to the reel, ashaft projecting from the outside of the box, a driving-gear slidablymounted upon said shaft and adapted to be made to mesh with or bedisconnected from the pinion, means to hold the drivinggear in either ofits adjusted positions, combined with a series of open hooks adapted tosupport a clothes-line, one of said hooks being connected to the supportabove the box whereby the clothes-line when in place ex tends throughthe open upper end of the box up to said last-named open hook and thento another hook of the series.

red

5. In a clothes-line reel, abox inclosing a reel, a casting on theoutside of the box, said casting having an aperture to receive and forma bearing for the endof the shaftof the reel, a combined pinion andratchet fast on said shaft, a stud integral with the casting,

a drive-gear on said stud and meshing with the pinion, a pawl pivoted tothe casting and 00 operating with the ratchet, and means where- ,by thedrive-gear may be disconnected from 10

